1848 Hrs GMT London Friday 13 March 2009:
KHOODEELAAR! No to “ Big Business Crossrail scam...” CAMPAIGN REJECTS Boris Johnson’s latest aping of the Crossrail scam-tout ken Livingstone. Khoodeelaar! reiterates challenge to boris Johnson to show evidence in support of his latest crossrail touting...Boris Johnson remain clueless about jobs, about joblessness and about how Crossrail will continue the process of adding to the poverty in inner London......
33rd year AADHIKAR
0225 GMT Thursday 06 June 2013
AADHIKAR Media Foundation Editor © Muhammad Haque
Founding News Editor
Shah M Azizul Haque
AADHIKAR Media Foundation established with the publication of AADHIKAR the weekly on Monday 19 December 1980 from London E1 UK.
Friday, March 13, 2009
KHOODEELAAR! is noting latest reference to Crossrail scam-tout Ken Livingstone's fakery and dishonesty
1830 Hrs GMT London Friday 13 March 2009: KHOODEELAAR! No to “ Big Business Crossrail scam...” CAMPAIGN notes the latest reference to the dishonesty and the misuse ands abuse of office and ‘powers’ by crossrail scam-peddling big business tout ken livingstone. livingstone is accused of misleading supporters of the LONDON ‘arts and culture’ venue the Astoria... in the item we reproduce below from the ‘New Musical Express’ web site
HomeNewsReviewsPhotosVideoBlogsGigs & TicketsArtistsNME AwardsNew MusicStoreMyNMENME RadioNME TVClub NMEMagazineMobileAll NewsVideo NewsUS NewsTour NewsDaily GossipTabloid HellNewslettersNews AlertsRSS FeedsMessage Boards
NME News
Fans start fight for 'suitable' London Astoria replacement
Campaigners battle for successor to iconic venue
Mar 13, 2009
1 Comments
Various Artists news, reviews, video and tour dates
Add Various Artists to MyNME
Campaigners lobbying for an appropriate replacement venue for the soon-to-be-demolished London Astoria have told NME.COM that they think the 250-capacity theatre being touted isn't good enough.
The Astoria won the Best Venue award at the Shockwaves NME Awards this year, despite being forced to close its doors in January. The venue will be demolished as a station at Tottenham Court Road is built for the Crossrail project.
However despite promises from former London mayor Ken Livingstone that the venue will be replaced after the development with a "larger live music venue", fans say current plans are not good or big enough.
"We found out from Westminster Council that there has been a proposal of a replacement theatre, but only of 250 seats," campaigner Jenny Wong told NME.COM, pointing out The Astoria's capacity was 2,000. "It's so bad - its not even quarter of the size."
Wong - who is running the campaign with her friend India Walker - said attempts to speak to the council, Crossrail and Boris Johnson have all been fruitless.
"We got a reply from his [Boris Johnson's] secretary saying, 'We're concerned about this that and the other and there will be a replacement', but that Boris Johnson isn't in charge of it. They told us it was Westminster Council that was responsible, but then they told us Crossrail were responsible."
When Wong spoke to Crossrail, they also denied being in charge of the new venue.
The duo are now planning to rally support for a replacement, and are even considering organising a protest march to force someone to take responsibility.
"We have a Facebook group of nearly 3,000 members at the moment, and on the [internet] petition we have about 900 names," she explained. The petition can be signed at Petitiononline.com/nastoria.
"I just think it's the best venue in the world," said Wong of why the Astoria's successor is worth fighting for. "There are other venues in London, but it still is the only one in central London."
Johnson's office, however, said the mayor was unconcerned about the future of The Astoria, telling NME.COM that: "The mayor hopes the new venue will make a contribution to the cultural and entertainment vibrancy of the area similar to that of the old Astoria."
They added that they and the council agreed that a 250-capacity venue was "unlikely to be viable" for central London.
To read the full story of The Astoria campaign, get the new issue of NME, out now.
Share this story:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Reddit
Next story
Previous story
Comments (1)
Add a comment
Dr Rhythm
Mar 13, 2009
It's not just the Astoria that's gone, we need the Metro (smaller live music club on Oxford St) replaced too. It was a great place to see smaller bands. Maybe the 250 seater should be Metro, and they can get a 2000 seater to replace the Astoria
Add your comment
Please sign in to add your comments or register to have your say.
HomeNewsReviewsPhotosVideoBlogsGigs & TicketsArtistsNME AwardsNew MusicStoreMyNMENME RadioNME TVClub NMEMagazineMobileAll NewsVideo NewsUS NewsTour NewsDaily GossipTabloid HellNewslettersNews AlertsRSS FeedsMessage Boards
NME News
Fans start fight for 'suitable' London Astoria replacement
Campaigners battle for successor to iconic venue
Mar 13, 2009
1 Comments
Various Artists news, reviews, video and tour dates
Add Various Artists to MyNME
Campaigners lobbying for an appropriate replacement venue for the soon-to-be-demolished London Astoria have told NME.COM that they think the 250-capacity theatre being touted isn't good enough.
The Astoria won the Best Venue award at the Shockwaves NME Awards this year, despite being forced to close its doors in January. The venue will be demolished as a station at Tottenham Court Road is built for the Crossrail project.
However despite promises from former London mayor Ken Livingstone that the venue will be replaced after the development with a "larger live music venue", fans say current plans are not good or big enough.
"We found out from Westminster Council that there has been a proposal of a replacement theatre, but only of 250 seats," campaigner Jenny Wong told NME.COM, pointing out The Astoria's capacity was 2,000. "It's so bad - its not even quarter of the size."
Wong - who is running the campaign with her friend India Walker - said attempts to speak to the council, Crossrail and Boris Johnson have all been fruitless.
"We got a reply from his [Boris Johnson's] secretary saying, 'We're concerned about this that and the other and there will be a replacement', but that Boris Johnson isn't in charge of it. They told us it was Westminster Council that was responsible, but then they told us Crossrail were responsible."
When Wong spoke to Crossrail, they also denied being in charge of the new venue.
The duo are now planning to rally support for a replacement, and are even considering organising a protest march to force someone to take responsibility.
"We have a Facebook group of nearly 3,000 members at the moment, and on the [internet] petition we have about 900 names," she explained. The petition can be signed at Petitiononline.com/nastoria.
"I just think it's the best venue in the world," said Wong of why the Astoria's successor is worth fighting for. "There are other venues in London, but it still is the only one in central London."
Johnson's office, however, said the mayor was unconcerned about the future of The Astoria, telling NME.COM that: "The mayor hopes the new venue will make a contribution to the cultural and entertainment vibrancy of the area similar to that of the old Astoria."
They added that they and the council agreed that a 250-capacity venue was "unlikely to be viable" for central London.
To read the full story of The Astoria campaign, get the new issue of NME, out now.
Share this story:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Next story
Previous story
Comments (1)
Add a comment
Dr Rhythm
Mar 13, 2009
It's not just the Astoria that's gone, we need the Metro (smaller live music club on Oxford St) replaced too. It was a great place to see smaller bands. Maybe the 250 seater should be Metro, and they can get a 2000 seater to replace the Astoria
Add your comment
Please sign in to add your comments or register to have your say.
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO [n’th time] that the peddlers of ‘Crossrail’ were in fact operating as a cult. Secret. Secretive..Unaccountable
1650 Hrs GMT London Friday 13 March 2009:
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO [n’th time] that the peddlers of ‘Crossrail’ were in fact operating as a cult. Secret. Secretive..Unaccountable. Illogical. Very irrational. Very odd.And that the Aberdeen Journal was - and festers as another Big Business contractors’ ‘mainstream British media’ propaganda vehicle..Just as does the London EVENING nostandards STANDARD.... Regardless of the fact that the evidence does not support or justify the Crossrail scam peddling.........KHOODEELAAR! maintains on all objective facts that the CRASS cultists of Crossrail are so infecting the process of democratic policy-making [albeit that democracy itself is already limited by a plethora of built-in problems] that they are now even replacing ordinary words and replacing them by inappropriate, misleading insertions of the word Crossrail..... As we show below in the item carried by the Aberdeen Journal on their web site today [Friday 13 March 2009], they are confusing the word trains, railway with “crossrail’. This is worrying. Because the Crossrail peddlers in and around London too have done the same in the London EVENING nostandards STANDARD and the regional titles in Surrey, Kent and so on ..In Scotland, the persistence of the word Crossrail has been evident against the background of relevant facts that would involve the use of the word rail line or railway or trains....The Crossrail cultists and lobby personnel are distorting the evidence....
.[To be continued]
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO [n’th time] that the peddlers of ‘Crossrail’ were in fact operating as a cult. Secret. Secretive..Unaccountable. Illogical. Very irrational. Very odd.And that the Aberdeen Journal was - and festers as another Big Business contractors’ ‘mainstream British media’ propaganda vehicle..Just as does the London EVENING nostandards STANDARD.... Regardless of the fact that the evidence does not support or justify the Crossrail scam peddling.........KHOODEELAAR! maintains on all objective facts that the CRASS cultists of Crossrail are so infecting the process of democratic policy-making [albeit that democracy itself is already limited by a plethora of built-in problems] that they are now even replacing ordinary words and replacing them by inappropriate, misleading insertions of the word Crossrail..... As we show below in the item carried by the Aberdeen Journal on their web site today [Friday 13 March 2009], they are confusing the word trains, railway with “crossrail’. This is worrying. Because the Crossrail peddlers in and around London too have done the same in the London EVENING nostandards STANDARD and the regional titles in Surrey, Kent and so on ..In Scotland, the persistence of the word Crossrail has been evident against the background of relevant facts that would involve the use of the word rail line or railway or trains....The Crossrail cultists and lobby personnel are distorting the evidence....
.[To be continued]
KHOODEELAAR! evidential note on London EVENING STANDARD crassness on Crossrail costs -
1000 Hrs GMT 13 March 2009
KHOODEELAAR! will continue to examine this the latest crassness by the Crossrail hole scam-peddling London EVENING nostandards STANDARD..
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23661359-details/US+group+to+build+Crossrail/article.do
"US group to build Crossrail
Jonathan Prynn
12.03.09
The start of work on the £15 billion Crossrail "super-Tube" moved closer today with the appointment of an American-dominated team that will be responsible for the project.
A £100 million contract to run construction of the 74-mile east-west link has been awarded to the Transcend consortium.
This is made up of US project management giant AECOM, US construction group CH2M Hill and British management consultants Nichols Group.
Major work on the link, running from Maidenhead in the west, via Heathrow, central London and the City, to Abbey Wood in the east will start next year.
A bigger £400 million contract to run the work on the main 13-mile tunnel under London is due to be awarded next week.
Crossrail will be Europe's largest construction project and the biggest addition to the transport network in London and the South-East for 50 years.
Mayor Boris Johnson said: "During tough times for the economy it is incredibly satisfying to be able to announce a further step forwards for a project that will employ 14,000 people at the peak of construction."
About 200 staff from the companies that make up the Transcend consortium will work on the project, mainly engineers based in the capital.
Douglas Oakervee, executive chairman of Crossrail, said: "This is another landmark moment for Crossrail.
"I am delighted to announce the award of this contract after such a competitive procurement process. The quality, expertise and enthusiasm of all the bidders has been exceptional. With the appointment of Transcend the Crossrail project team will be joined by world-class expertise to oversee the project management of this new railway."
Preparatory work is already under way at Tottenham Court Road and work on a new Isle of Dogs Crossrail station will also begin later this year.
Crossrail is due to open in 2017, some 30 years after it was first mooted as a solution to the problem of getting passengers quickly across London on the east-west axis.
Successive governments delayed a decision because it was seen as too expensive and the project finally got the go-ahead in 2007.
When completed, Crossrail will bring an additional 1.5 million people within a 60-minute commute of central London.
Link to:
Reader Views (10) Add your view | Show all
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
So much for the UK recession and creating jobs for Britain. Why are we not encouraging more British involvement. How will we ever develop and sustain a British mega project programme management capability if we keep employing foreign organisations. What next the larger Crossrail project delivery partner role to be awarded to the American / French Joint Venture of Bechtel / Systra? Can you imagine British organisations being given the same opportunity in these countries during the current economic climate? Our Tax payers money flowing to San Francisco and Paris, supporting their economies! Time for pride and common sense to prevail. We need a British programme management solution for the largest programme in Britain. We need to develop British talent for the future and retain British taxpayers money to support British organisations.
- George, London
An American from Chicago was behind the building of the Bakerloo, Northern and Piccadilly lines. Those lines, which are at the very heart of London Underground, were all built at the same time in the same few years around 1905 to 1907. It was a fantastic achievement, to which far too little credit is given to the responsible person today. The lines were junk bonded the whole way, with frequent delays due to lack of funding. They would never have been built if it depended on public funding. Sadly the American died before their completion. All good wishes to the Americans who will build Crossrail with public funding. It would be interesting to see the multiple in cost (even in comparative dollars) between the building of the three deep lines and Crossrail.
- Phil Jones, London UK
"Must have been part of a deal between Obama and Brown"
In a project whose ultimate political master is Boris Johnson? He was born in the USA, of course, come to think of it. Still, let's not pass up an opportunity to bash Gordon, eh? After all, his government were only the ones who got the Bill through Parliament and got a funding package agreed. Not like they did anything worthwhile, or anything, is it?
In truth this is international work, but I'm surprised Bechtel didn't get it - they have an excellent reputation for bringing things in on time and on budget. It also isn't the main contract to build it, just the overall supervision one. There are lots more contracts to let, many much bigger.
- Tom, London, UK
Add your comment
Show all
KHOODEELAAR! will continue to examine this the latest crassness by the Crossrail hole scam-peddling London EVENING nostandards STANDARD..
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23661359-details/US+group+to+build+Crossrail/article.do
"US group to build Crossrail
Jonathan Prynn
12.03.09
The start of work on the £15 billion Crossrail "super-Tube" moved closer today with the appointment of an American-dominated team that will be responsible for the project.
A £100 million contract to run construction of the 74-mile east-west link has been awarded to the Transcend consortium.
This is made up of US project management giant AECOM, US construction group CH2M Hill and British management consultants Nichols Group.
Major work on the link, running from Maidenhead in the west, via Heathrow, central London and the City, to Abbey Wood in the east will start next year.
A bigger £400 million contract to run the work on the main 13-mile tunnel under London is due to be awarded next week.
Crossrail will be Europe's largest construction project and the biggest addition to the transport network in London and the South-East for 50 years.
Mayor Boris Johnson said: "During tough times for the economy it is incredibly satisfying to be able to announce a further step forwards for a project that will employ 14,000 people at the peak of construction."
About 200 staff from the companies that make up the Transcend consortium will work on the project, mainly engineers based in the capital.
Douglas Oakervee, executive chairman of Crossrail, said: "This is another landmark moment for Crossrail.
"I am delighted to announce the award of this contract after such a competitive procurement process. The quality, expertise and enthusiasm of all the bidders has been exceptional. With the appointment of Transcend the Crossrail project team will be joined by world-class expertise to oversee the project management of this new railway."
Preparatory work is already under way at Tottenham Court Road and work on a new Isle of Dogs Crossrail station will also begin later this year.
Crossrail is due to open in 2017, some 30 years after it was first mooted as a solution to the problem of getting passengers quickly across London on the east-west axis.
Successive governments delayed a decision because it was seen as too expensive and the project finally got the go-ahead in 2007.
When completed, Crossrail will bring an additional 1.5 million people within a 60-minute commute of central London.
Link to:
Reader Views (10) Add your view | Show all
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
So much for the UK recession and creating jobs for Britain. Why are we not encouraging more British involvement. How will we ever develop and sustain a British mega project programme management capability if we keep employing foreign organisations. What next the larger Crossrail project delivery partner role to be awarded to the American / French Joint Venture of Bechtel / Systra? Can you imagine British organisations being given the same opportunity in these countries during the current economic climate? Our Tax payers money flowing to San Francisco and Paris, supporting their economies! Time for pride and common sense to prevail. We need a British programme management solution for the largest programme in Britain. We need to develop British talent for the future and retain British taxpayers money to support British organisations.
- George, London
An American from Chicago was behind the building of the Bakerloo, Northern and Piccadilly lines. Those lines, which are at the very heart of London Underground, were all built at the same time in the same few years around 1905 to 1907. It was a fantastic achievement, to which far too little credit is given to the responsible person today. The lines were junk bonded the whole way, with frequent delays due to lack of funding. They would never have been built if it depended on public funding. Sadly the American died before their completion. All good wishes to the Americans who will build Crossrail with public funding. It would be interesting to see the multiple in cost (even in comparative dollars) between the building of the three deep lines and Crossrail.
- Phil Jones, London UK
"Must have been part of a deal between Obama and Brown"
In a project whose ultimate political master is Boris Johnson? He was born in the USA, of course, come to think of it. Still, let's not pass up an opportunity to bash Gordon, eh? After all, his government were only the ones who got the Bill through Parliament and got a funding package agreed. Not like they did anything worthwhile, or anything, is it?
In truth this is international work, but I'm surprised Bechtel didn't get it - they have an excellent reputation for bringing things in on time and on budget. It also isn't the main contract to build it, just the overall supervision one. There are lots more contracts to let, many much bigger.
- Tom, London, UK
Add your comment
Show all
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO! London GUARDIAN has been suppressing the truth on all major Big Business abuses in the UK - and abroad - more soon
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO! London GUARDIAN has been suppressing the truth on all major Big Business abuses in the UK - and abroad - more soon
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO! both the london guardian and the bbc hide the truth about the wasteful crossrail, concealing the truth about crossrail
0918 hrs gmt london friday 13 march 2009:
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO! both the london guardian and the bbc hide the truth about the wasteful crossrail, concealing the truth about crossrail, the bbc contributes to the role it plays in shielding big business looting the public.... and contributes actively to the perpetuation of the culture of corruption in britain....as does the guardian. both wear facades of 'objective journalism' behind which they aid and abet wrongdoing and help to keep big business in the business of looting and robbing... the guardian’s piece today [friday 13 march 2009] on the rbs tax fraud and evasion and retailed on the bbc news channel late on thursday night [see the image reproduced in the column on the left here by aadhikaronline] in the offensively corrupt slot fronted by chris ekin with ‘guest’ george jones is a typical piece of Guardian and BBC affront...
How?
Because BOTH the Guardian and the BBC are HIDING similar evasions they know of and are concealing similar frauds and evasions by outfits involved with London CROSSRAIL.....
[to be continued]
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO! both the london guardian and the bbc hide the truth about the wasteful crossrail, concealing the truth about crossrail, the bbc contributes to the role it plays in shielding big business looting the public.... and contributes actively to the perpetuation of the culture of corruption in britain....as does the guardian. both wear facades of 'objective journalism' behind which they aid and abet wrongdoing and help to keep big business in the business of looting and robbing... the guardian’s piece today [friday 13 march 2009] on the rbs tax fraud and evasion and retailed on the bbc news channel late on thursday night [see the image reproduced in the column on the left here by aadhikaronline] in the offensively corrupt slot fronted by chris ekin with ‘guest’ george jones is a typical piece of Guardian and BBC affront...
How?
Because BOTH the Guardian and the BBC are HIDING similar evasions they know of and are concealing similar frauds and evasions by outfits involved with London CROSSRAIL.....
[to be continued]
KHOODEELAAR! examination of Charlie Falconer as the personification of the London Millennium Dome curse, will appear here soon
KHOODEELAAR! examination of Charlie Falconer as the personification of the London Millennium Dome curse, will appear here soon
KHOODEELAAR! TOLD YOU SO! On Friday 22 October 2004, Khoodeelaar! compared Crossrail to wasteful Dome! Now, the curse personified itself speaks!
CROSSRAIL is now publicly CURSED by Millennium Dome Curse Charlie Falconer!
"Thames Gateway chair hits out at ‘slow’ progress
13 March 2009
By Joey Gardiner
Former Dome chief Lord Falconer pins hopes on Crossrail and Olympics to kick-start programme
"The peer who oversaw work on London’s Millennium Dome has branded progress on the Thames Gateway “disappointingly slow” on the eve of his return to involvement in the £9bn regeneration project.
Former lord chancellor Lord Falconer of Thoroton, who was in charge of the Thames Gateway programme between 2001 and 2002 as minister for housing and planning, has been appointed chair of the Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP), which is relaunching next week.
Falconer, who engineered the sale of the Millennium Dome to US entrepreneur Philip Anschutz in 2001, said he accepted there was private sector cynicism about the Gateway’s potential, due in part to the “great clutter of organisations” in the region and the 10 to 20-year timescale.
He said: “The importance of the Thames Gateway for London remains high, but progress has been disappointingly slow.”
However, he added that it was still possible to dispel cynicism about the project by starting to deliver on its aims to build 160,000 homes by 2016 and create 225,000 jobs.
He added: “Crossrail and the Olympics are a very major pair of projects which give us an opportunity that most parts of the country don’t have.”
The TGLP represents the 11 London boroughs inside the Gateway to national and London government. Falconer, whose appointment was announced last autumn, said the body will focus on core priorities such as skills, infrastructure and housing.
The chief executive of the government’s Thames Gateway Delivery Unit, Judith Armitt, was forced to leave in 2007 after a disagreement with then housing minister Yvette Cooper over the delivery plan for the programme.
"Thames Gateway chair hits out at ‘slow’ progress
13 March 2009
By Joey Gardiner
Former Dome chief Lord Falconer pins hopes on Crossrail and Olympics to kick-start programme
"The peer who oversaw work on London’s Millennium Dome has branded progress on the Thames Gateway “disappointingly slow” on the eve of his return to involvement in the £9bn regeneration project.
Former lord chancellor Lord Falconer of Thoroton, who was in charge of the Thames Gateway programme between 2001 and 2002 as minister for housing and planning, has been appointed chair of the Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP), which is relaunching next week.
Falconer, who engineered the sale of the Millennium Dome to US entrepreneur Philip Anschutz in 2001, said he accepted there was private sector cynicism about the Gateway’s potential, due in part to the “great clutter of organisations” in the region and the 10 to 20-year timescale.
He said: “The importance of the Thames Gateway for London remains high, but progress has been disappointingly slow.”
However, he added that it was still possible to dispel cynicism about the project by starting to deliver on its aims to build 160,000 homes by 2016 and create 225,000 jobs.
He added: “Crossrail and the Olympics are a very major pair of projects which give us an opportunity that most parts of the country don’t have.”
The TGLP represents the 11 London boroughs inside the Gateway to national and London government. Falconer, whose appointment was announced last autumn, said the body will focus on core priorities such as skills, infrastructure and housing.
The chief executive of the government’s Thames Gateway Delivery Unit, Judith Armitt, was forced to leave in 2007 after a disagreement with then housing minister Yvette Cooper over the delivery plan for the programme.
KHOODEELAAR! examination of Charlie Falconer as the personification of the London Millennium Dome curse, will appear here soon
0240 Hrs GMT
London Friday 13 March 2009
KHOODEELAAR! examination of Charlie Falconer as the personification of the London Millennium Dome curse, will appear here soon
London Friday 13 March 2009
KHOODEELAAR! examination of Charlie Falconer as the personification of the London Millennium Dome curse, will appear here soon